Dale Earnhardt Jr. expresses disappointment in Michael McDowell regarding the Ryan Baney crash. The situation for Front Row Motorsports in the 2024 season has become challenging. Unlike the previous season, they have not had consistent frontrunning Fords from FRM. Now, in order to secure his spot in the playoffs, Earnhardt Jr. must win a race. Last week, he came close but made a mistake by wrecking while racing for second place with nine laps remaining at New Hampshire.
Reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney was enraged with the experienced driver for his reckless move that caused the crash. Earnhardt Jr. shares a similar sentiment. On his podcast, he stated that McDowell should change his aggressive racing mentality at the end of races, as it often leads to chaos for all drivers involved.
Expanding on his point, Earnhardt Jr. emphasized that the incident was unnecessary. Even if McDowell had been able to escape the situation unharmed, there was no way he could have won the race. Earnhardt Jr. also criticized McDowell’s explanation for the incident, stating that it did not reflect well on the veteran driver.
Earnhardt Jr. further asserted that McDowell was only digging himself into a hole with his actions, and there was no justification for them. He firmly believed that McDowell would not have been able to make the corner under any circumstances.
For McDowell, everything went wrong at New Hampshire, and he must repair his reputation. If he fails to do so, other drivers may use it as an excuse to treat him the same way. It will be interesting to see how the remainder of the 2024 season unfolds for McDowell, who is set to join Spire Motorsports next season.